John Adler

U.S. Rep.-elect John Adler (above) has picked the Senate Democratic chief counsel to be his Chief of Staff.

South Jersey Democrats say that U.S. Rep.-elect John Adler had picked Timothy Lydon, the Chief Counsel in the Senate Democratic Office, as his Chief of Staff.  As Senate Counsel, Lydon was the majority staff aide to the Judiciary Committee, where Adler is the Chairman.

Camden County Clerk James Beach is headed to the State Senate. He is expected to replace John Adler in January.

Camden County Clerk James Beach will replace John Adler in the State Senate, according to a Camden County Democratic source who spoke with George Norcross, the South Jersey Democratic leader who decides who serves in the Legislature.  Beach must still win a special election convention, but he is not expected to face any opposition.

Gov. Jon Corzine will appoint a nominate a new County Clerk -- presumably after consulting with Norcross -- who must be confirmed by the State Senate.  Both Beach and the new Clerk must run in a November 2009 special election.

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John Dingell, ousted as chairman of the House Energy & Commerce Committee, is reportedly mulling a challenge to Frank Pallone for the Health Subcommittee chair

Most New Jersey Congressmen won’t comment on the potential chairmanship fight for the influential Health subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. For the past two years, that subcommittee has been chaired by New Jerseyan Frank Pallone.

Last week, Pallone played a role in the ouster of John Dingell, the 82-year-old longtime Energy and Commerce Chairman. Dingell, a Congressman since 1955, lost to Henry Waxman in a vote of the House Democratic Caucus. Now Dingell may want a consolation prize: Pallone’s subcommittee chairmanship.

Only Democratic members of the Energy and Commerce Committee have a vote on the matter, and the only New Jersey Congressman who’s also on that committee, Mike Ferguson is a Republican who’s retiring at the end of the session.

But, although their support wouldn’t translate into a vote, there’s no reason to doubt that most of the delegation would back Pallone. Six of the seven other Democrats (including incoming U.S. Rep. John Adler) last week supported Waxman -- only one New Jerseyan, Rob Andrews, supported Dingell, and worked as a whip for his reelection effort. Andrews has not had a particularly friendly relationship with Pallone since he challenged U. S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg in a primary this year.

So would Andrews back Dingell if it came down to it? His spokesman, Francis Tagmire, kept the answer vague.

State Sen. Paul Sarlo is reportedly Dick Codey's choice to chair the Senate Judiciary Committee

Senate President Richard Codey has begun telling State Senators that he will pick Paul Sarlo as the new Senate Judiciary Chairman -- with an announcement that could come as early as tomorrow.  Sarlo would assume the post in January when John Adler resigns to take his seat in Congress.  Judiciary is considered one of the most powerful committees in the Legislature, with considerable clout over the Senate confirmation of gubernatorial nominations, including judgeships.  Sarlo, who is also the Mayor of Wood-Ridge, will become the first non-lawyer to run the Judiciary Committee since the early 1970's, when the Senate Majority Leader (then a one-year term) also ran Judiciary.

State Democratic Party Chair Joe Cryan, right, on the campaign trail with Elizabeth Councilman Nelson Gonzalez.

When State Democratic Chairman Joseph Cryan focused his players in the middle of the Obama presidential campaign, he told them to get ready for a long game, a two-year operation, in fact.

Despite all temptation to treat Obama’s victory like the ultimate end-zone rush and champagne romp, Election Night on Nov. 4th should be handled more the way a geared-up squad treats a 15-point lead in their favor in the locker room come half-time.

Everyone’s first job was to elect Sen. Barack Obama (D-Il.) president.  In comfortably accomplishing that, the campaign made up of 45 field organizers coordinated over a million volunteer calls, pounded on 750,000 door knocks, and built a volunteer base of more than 10,000 bodies.

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Senate President Richard Codey administers the oath of office to State Sen. Sandra Bolden Cunningham (D-Jersey City) in 2007. Cunningham could wind up as Senate Labor Committee Chairman, if Codey picks Paul Sarlo (D-Wood-Ridge) to head the Judiciary Committee

If Paul Sarlo becomes the new Senate Judiciary Chairman when John Adler leaves for Washington in January, Senate President Richard Codey will need to name a new Chairman of the Senate Labor Committee.  The two other Democrats on the panel now are Frederick Madden and Sandra Cunningham.  Statehouse watchers say that one could be a no-brainer: Codey will pick Cunningham, his ally, and not Madden, who is aligned with Codey's rival, South Jersey Democratic Chairman George Norcross.  

Madden, elected in 2003, is the most senior Senate Democrat without a committee chairmanship, followed by Loretta Weinberg, who entered the Senate in 2005. 

State Sen. Paul Sarlo could be Dick Codey's choice for Senate Judiciary Chairman

Paul Sarlo, a three-term State Senator with close ties to indicted Bergen County Democratic Chairman Joseph Ferriero appears to be the leading candidate for chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, according to sources close to Senate President Richard Codey, who has not made a final decision on one of the state's most powerful committee chairmanships.  Codey must decide by January who will replace John Adler, who was elected to Congress.

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U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) is expected to receive substantial support from New Jersey Congressmen in his bid for House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman

Today, in his first major vote as an incoming member of the U.S. House of Representatives, John Adler is expected to support Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) for Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, according to sources with close ties to Camden County Democrat.  Waxman is challenging longtime chairman John Dingell, an 82-year-old Michigan Democrat who has served in Congress since 1955. 

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House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell (D-Mich.), a Congressman since 1955, has the backing of New Jersey's Rob Andrews

Two New Jersey Congressmen are at opposite ends of a intra-party battle for the the chairmanship of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, one of the most powerful posts in Congress.  Rob Andrews is working for incumbent John Dingell, an 82-year-old Michigan Democrat who has served in Congress since 1955.  Frank Pallone, who is chairman of the Health Subcommittee, is part of the whip team for Dingell's challenger, Henry Waxman, 69, an 18-term Congressman from California who is the second ranking member of the panel.  Today, Waxman won the support of the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, defeating Dingell 25-22.  The full House Democratic conference will pick between the two on Thursday.

The Energy and Commerce Committee oversees legislation on health care, climate change regulations, and good and drug regulations.  Dingell has staunchly opposed Waxman's efforts to impose more stringent fuel efficiency standards on Michigan automakers.

Rob Andrews will return for his eleventh term in Congress next year, and after losing two statewide races, it's unclear whether the last will be the final one.

Andrews ran a close second in the 1997 Democratic gubernatorial primary against James E. McGreevey, was passed over to succeed Gov. Corzine in the Senate, and mounted a primary challenge against incumbent U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg this year, only to lose by 25 percentage points. But despite those three dispiriting defeats, he still won't rule out the possibility of another statewide run some day, and prefers not to speculate on whether the last one hurt his prospects.

"That's really not for me to decide. That's for voters to decide and leaders of the party," said Andrews (D-Haddon Heights) in a phone interview yesterday.

Political insiders acknowledge that there are a thousand lives in politics, but see Andrews's defeat as being particularly hard to crawl back from - and not just because of the lopsided margin.